Hornworms

The cocoon below contains the larvae of a hornworm, most likely the Five Spotted Hawkmoth, and is a major pest of Tomato crops particularly. No way to know what it is exactly until it hatches. The larvae can be about two inches long, and almost a centimeter wide. Usually it is green with small white or yellow stripes along the side, but there are varying colors. For some pictures of the larvae, check here. Once the larvae have had their fill of the plant, they burrow into the ground and form a cocoon. Recently, my dad found one buried in the loose dirt near his tomato plants.

Lepidoptera; Bombycoidea; Sphingidae; Sphinginae; Sphingini; Manduca
Common Name: Tomato Hornworm/Five-Spotted Sphinx Moth (?)

I will update once it hatches - until then, it shall remain mostly a mystery. I can be certain it is of the genus Manduca at least, considering the cocoon type and its location. The cocoon is about two inches long, and the loop on one end contains the developing proboscis of the moth. When disturbed, it wriggles its pointed end.

Arctiidae

A while ago I posted pictures of woolly black/orange caterpillars. A few weeks ago they stopped eating so I left them be to see if they were preparing to pupate, and when I returned from the cruise, two of them had pupated. Now, a total of four have pupated, one has hatched, and the other two caterpillars simply had not eaten enough to proceed to metamorphosis and died. I was correct in my estimation that they are from family Arctiidae, however the genus was incorrect - I was linking them incorrectly to a much larger larvae. At any rate, here are the pictures. On top we have the pupa, then various angles, and bottommost we can see all the eggs she has been laying. I do not know when she hatched, so she may have hatched a long time ago and due to not mating is now unloading all her unfertilized eggs. Her wings also do not look fully pumped with hemolymph, so it is hard to key as her wings may look different if they were fully inflated. As such, I have only identified her to genus, not species. I will further identify once I have another moth hatched.

Lepidoptera; Noctuoidea; Arctiidae; Arctiinae; Arctiini; Grammia
Common Name: Tiger Moth

There is some speculation that the genus Grammia is named so from the latin "grammus", which means marked, or in reference to the the Grammus mountain range. Both could refer to the markings on the wings, which are rather triangular. The family Arctiidae contains tiger moths, footmen moths, and wasp moths. The subfamily Arctiinae contains tiger moths, which are very common. These moths are primarily nocturnal, and their larvae are the "woollybear" variety. Cocoons are largely made from the body hairs of the larvae. The tiger moths of Grammia have black front wings with red or yellow stripes and the hind wings are usually pinkish with black spots.

Metamorphosis

Well, it looks like I was right about that Mourning Cloak larvae being on the brink of forming a chrysalis - yesterday he spun an anchor on a grass stem and started hanging upside down. Gradually throughout the day he seemed to become fatter near the anchor and the pseudo-feet (the little nubs a caterpillar uses to move the part of its body beneath its little real feet) became hollow. By morning it had shuffled off its old exoskeleton, revealing a gray, spiky chrysalis.

Now, according to internet resources, the butterfly should emerge in 10-15 days, depending on temperature (warmer = faster development). However, I leave on a cruise this Sunday, so it will certainly emerge while I am away on the cruise and I do not return for 12 days. To remedy this, I have an insect home which was supplied by a "Raise Your Own Praying Mantis" kit. It has net-sides and clear plastic sides. I never did raise the mantises because apparently it is very intensive, such as raising your own fruit flies to feed to the mantises, and over 200 mantises hatch from your provided egg case. I will place the chrysalis inside the enclosure, and instruct Kit on how to feed it.

Here is an easy-to-make butterfly feeding station:
Requires: 1 sponge, sugar, water, fruit (juicy preferred), saucer or plate.
1. Mix warm water and sugar - 2 teaspoons per 8 oz of water - then set aside to cool
2. Slice fruit to expose juicy segments, set on saucer or plate
3. Cut sponge to an appropriate size and soak up the sugar water with it so that it is still dripping and set on the saucer next to the fruit
4. Place in an area accessible to butterflies and wait
5. Extra step: decorate the saucer with colors that appeal to butterflies, such as pink, red, purple, or yellow. Bee colors, for those who are interested, tend to be whites and blues.

In my case, I (well, Kit) will be placing the saucer directly into the enclosure and that will be the butterfly's food until I return. The fruit will need to be changed every so often, and the sponge re-moistened. Here is the completed butterfly home.

One Day's Foray

Well, went to a slightly different location to hunt than usual - same stream/canyon network, just a different part of it. I took a lot of live shots, and have at least 6 insects that are on the pinning board right now. One is definitely a new family for the collection, not too sure about the rest. The following are live shots of specimens I did not collect for one reason or another - usually because I already have pictures or a member of that family.

The above Hemipteran is a member of family Coreidae, or Leaffooted Bugs. This one was found on cacti, as were the other specimens I caught that are currently in the collection. It is highly likely it is Narnia snowi, a Leaffooted bug that feeds on Prickly Pear Cacti. The blue damselfly is likely the male version of the species that was common in the area, with the more drab colored female pictured below. They have been keyed to Coenagrionidae, but without a more detailed key it is difficult to distinguish them from other common blue damselflies.

The above show a ladybug larvae. I was hoping for better resolution thanks to natural lighting compared to the picture I posted before.

Finally, here is a larvae I chose to capture - I don't think I have the heart to pin him right after he hatches (mainly because I just have this one, whereas with the other caterpillars I have six, so if they all metamorphose I won't feel too bad keeping one). This caterpillar is the larvae of the Mourning Cloak, a common butterfly in Southern California. It was actually the first butterfly I had any experience with, when one formed a chrysalis on the gate at my house when I was about 5 years old. I will take plenty of pictures, since this specimen seems sufficiently large that he will form a chrysalis soon.

Lepidoptera; Papilionoidea; Nymphalidae; Nymphalinae; Nymphalis antiopa
Common Name (Larvae): Spiny Elm Caterpillar

Pieridae

I have not had the chance to collect more insects, and I am somewhat sick right now so more new insects will not be for a while - however, I feel I must bring attention to the California state butterfly. Most people would assume it is one of the more commonly known butterflies, such as a Monarch, a Swallowtail, or a Painted Lady. Many states have the Monarch as their state butterfly, but California chose the Southern or California dogface butterfly. It is so named because on the males' fore wings, the silhouette resembles a dog, like a poodle or terrier. The larvae feed on false indigo.

Lepidoptera; Pieridae; Coliadinae; Coliadini; Zerene eurydice
Common name: California Dogface Butterfly

It is an interesting choice for a state butterfly, especially considering most people have never seen one. The females are very different looking, with the dorsal view of their wings being entirely yellow with a single dark eye spot on each fore wing.

In other news, it seems all the caterpillars have now molted their definite second time, and they are approximately 30 days old. Again, my estimates are on the small side because I did not catch them immediately after hatching. I need to collect more grass for them today - they're eating a lot faster and caterpillars are pretty picky eaters, as in they refuse to eat old food.

Second Molt

Well, it appears that the caterpillars are doing all right - it is now at least 22 days since they hatched, and we have a second confirmed molt, which is at least their third molt. Two of the caterpillars appear to be bigger than the other four. I really wish I knew exactly when they hatched, but I guess this is just the estimate I have to go with. The recently pinned insects are still on the pinning board - I will probably remove and key the beetle tomorrow, but the grasshopper and katydid will have to wait until they are completely set in place. Wouldn't like their legs to droop. Without further ado, here is the second confirmed molt.

Another Caterpillar Update

I am updating again because the caterpillars appear to be reaching their next molt - very interesting. I attempted to go out and find more insects today, but the canyon I usually go to was closed, so I only had time to grab more caterpillar food and return home. Without further ado...

The first image is simply of the caterpillar in the act of eating - you can see the mandibles and the proto-legs. I'm having trouble accessing the place with all the food they like - the place is closed and there is no nearby parking! Poor catas... I have to collect food from other places and I don't think they like much of what I've brought them.

Caterpillar Update!

Well, the six caterpillars are happily munching on mint, basil, and grass. The grass I grabbed from their natural habitat, and the basil and mint from the aerogarden. It appears that they like both of those herbs, which are in the same family. I am not sure whether that is a coincidence, or whether these caterpillars prefer that family of plant. I am trying to track the period of time that the caterpillars spend as caterpillars and pupa. Based on the first post in this entry, the caterpillars were first seen the Saturday before my first entry, and they have had at least one molt since then. They were sufficiently large to have hatched at least 1 week prior, so I will estimate they hatched the Sunday before that Saturday, which was 25 January. As of 9 February, these caterpillars are 15 days old (young estimate). They have definitely molted at least once in the last two weeks - and maybe once before then.

Ants and Scale Insects

I went out to grab a picture of a possible relationship between ants, most likely Argentine, and scale insects. I am not certain what plant they are on, but it is definitely some kind of chaparral bush, probably Baccharis sarothroides. If all goes well, I will be doing volunteer research studying Argentine ants and their relationship with cotton aphids. Ants are in family Formicidae, and the scale insects, if I am correct that they are soft scale insects, are in family Coccidae.

In addition, I took a few pictures of the hundreds of caterpillars roaming the area - it seems like these caterpillars are the dominant organism out there. I grabbed a total of 6 to rear and confirm my hypothesis that they are Painted Tiger Moth larvae, as well as document any that have been parasitized.